County Unemployment Rises in March

The San Diego County unemployment rate rose to 9.5% in March -- up from 9.4% in February but down from 10.1% a year earlier -- according to the California Employment Development Department.

The leisure and hospitality industry gained 2800 jobs in the month. That may be encouraging, because tourism has been somewhat weak in recent months. However, the big gain was in food service and drinking places, up 1300 jobs.

Government gained 2000 jobs, but professional and and business services were down 2900.

Agreed. It's not much of a recovery in the U.S., and certainly not in San Diego. To be sure, San Diego County is better off than Stockton, Modesto, Riverside County, etc. but it lags L.A. and S.F. Best, Don Bauder

You hear all the time that manufacturing is coming back in the U.S. It is, but only a little. Tragically, we moved our manufacturing base to low- and slave-wage nations beginning in the 1980s. Those jobs aren't coming back. And you are right: the U.S. economy will be in the doldrums for at least five years. This will give the Federal Reserve an opportunity to print more money and perhaps run up the stock and bond markets even more, thus exacerbating the horrible distribution of wealth and income, but the economy won't improve very much. Wall Street will continue picking Main Street's pocket, although at some point there may be a rebellion. Best, Don Bauder